Why You Should Be Excited for Gears of War 3

The final installment of Epic's Gears of War trilogy wraps up the story of the Delta Squad in its last-ditch effort to save what's left of humanity on war-ravaged Sera. As if concluding the trilogy isn't enough reason to get excited, perhaps seeing some of the new features Epic Games has in store for us will get you pumped for this upcoming title.

New Kick-Ass Weapons and Moves
Shooters are only as cool as the weapons in them. Sure, story can go a long way, but ultimately what is Gears of War known for? The Lancer Assault Rifle. This fully automatic assault rifle with the chainsaw bayonet is so simple in concept, but so effective in combat, and it's one of the most recognizable weapons in gaming.

Gears of War 3 adds to its arsenal of kick-ass weaponry by introducing Digger Launcher, the Sawed-off Shotgun, and the Incendiary Grenade. They are also introducing a new move to the series, the Mantle Kick.

Digger Launcher
The Digger Launcher is a unique grenade launcher that was used by the Savage Locust remnants. It fires a “small, indigenous creature called a Digger" attached to an explosive charge, that blows up underneath enemies in the distance.

Silverback
The Silverback comes equipped with a rocket launcher on one arm and a gatling gun on the other. It has a secondary mode—a shield wall. It has the ability to spread its leg armor out, effectively creating cover for other COG soldiers to hide behind, but at the cost of movement. Whilst COG soldiers are in the exo-suit, the Silverback is able to roadie-run and curb-stomp enemies.

Mantle Kick
While in cover, you can jump over the barricade and into an enemy. This kick will stun the enemy giving you a chance to incapacitate and kill them.

Revamped Multiplayer
Multiplayer in the Gears of War series has come a long way—from Warzone to Capture the Flag to Horde Mode. Gears of War 3 takes multiplayer to a new level with Horde 2.0, an upgraded version of Horde survival mode. Epic Games also introduces Team Deathmatch to Gears of War 3.

Epic Games has really gone all out in this popular multiplayer mode, focusing on the new fortifications feature. Fortifications come in five main types: barriers, decoys, sentries, turrets, and the Silverback—a bad-ass exo-suit that wreaks havoc on the enemies. The key to survival is deciding where to make your stand. These fortifications will help you establish that area.

Get briefed for Horde 2.0 in this trailer

To build these fortifications, Horde Mode 2.0 utilizes a new monetary system that rewards you with cash per kill. This cash can be used to build or upgrade fortifications, get extra ammo, buy more powerful weapons, or even to buy yourself back into the fight if you fall in battle.

From time to time, mid-wave objectives will appear to boost the war effort. Completing them isn't necessary, but you will be rewarded with weapons, ammo, and more cash if you do.

Beast Mode
This is a brand new mode introduced in Gears of War 3; it's basically the reverse of Horde 2.0. In Beast Mode, you play as the Locust fending off waves of humans as you earn tokens to unlock stronger classes. The biggest difference, aside from playing as the Gears of War bad guys, is a game of speed. The goal is to clear the waves as quickly as possible. You start with only one minute and gain time on the clock every time you kill an enemy or destroy an emplacement. If the clock hits zero, the Hammer of Dawn will strike from above and kill everyone on your team.

Team Deathmatch
Finally, a straight team deathmatch mode comes to Gears of War. Rather than a timed round or building to a certain number of kills, Gears of War 3 takes a different approach. Two teams fight each other in order to win. The first team to win two rounds will win the entire match. This is different from Warzone because each team have a set amount of lives. Players can be revived if they're downed.

So, why should you be excited for this? This new mode makes for quick, brutal gameplay. If you die early, you no longer have to sit around and wait for the round to end.

Noob Friendly
Developers of Gears of War 3 have stated that even though this is the third entry, it should be the easiest to pick up and play. To accomplish this, Gears of War 3 contains a new Casual Mode for players who have never played the Gears games before. Casual Mode is actually a misleading name for this feature, because it's not meant for “casual” players. Instead, it's meant for brand new players. In fact, if you have any achievements from the previous Gears games, you will not be allowed to play this mode. There is a big difference between “casual” and “new” players. I have played Gears of War games, but I still consider myself to be a new player to the series.

Although a good feature in idea, it's actually bad for players like me, who have only played the first Gears of War game but don't have much experience in the multiplayer realm. The only experience I have is getting worked by the hardcore Gears players—with years of experience—when playing on my friend's Xbox 360. So because I have the achievements from the first few levels (sadly I never beat the game), I will not be allowed in this Casual Mode. Instead, I will be thrown to the wolves in the normal multiplayer modes.

The good news is that this Casual Mode is a great way to reach players that have no experience playing Gears of War. Not many games this far into the series create a mode for brand new players. Hopefully, it'll catch on with players who may not have had an interest in the game previously. This is an exciting feature if you have never played the series before.

The Story Ends...Maybe
This is the third installment of the Gears of War series and the final game in the current story arc. That's not to say this is the final Gears game, because Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinksi has hinted that the Gears franchise will continue after Gears of War 3.

With that being said, Gears of War 3 is envisioned as the final part of a trilogy and will likely wrap up the story of Marcus Fenix. If anything, the game will “answer the majority of the questions that players have about the history of the world and what's going on,” according to Cliff Bleszinski. The end of a trilogy is always sad, but it's comforting knowing a lot of player's questions will be answered. We've all invested so much time into the Gears trilogy, but like all things, it must come to an end. Seeing how it all ends is the number one reason to be excited for Gears of War 3.

Like I said, just because some questions will be answered, and this trilogy's story arc is wrapped-up, doesn't mean it's the end for Gears of War. "Gears 1 and 2 sold about six million copies, so if this game comes out and, God willing, sells eight or 10 million, it would be completely dumb to not do another one, right? It's just business 101." The key is to find out where to go from here and what the right step moving on would be. Your move, Epic Games.

Well, GameZone readers, I leave you with this one last question: Are you excited for Gears of War 3?

Matt Liebl
You can follow Senior News Editor Matt Liebl on Twitter @Matt_GZ. He likes games, sports, musicals, and his adorable dog, Wrigley, and his wife.